Speaker: Fernando Moreno
Fernando Moreno USA 2024 Goodwill Ambassador of Chess in Education Presented at the 4th Chess in Education Summit by Judit Polgar, Budapest / 1993 Chess Teacher of the Year Awarded by the U.S. Chess Center, Washington, D.C. / 1996 U.S. Chess-in-Education Committee Commendation For using chess to teach life lessons – presented at the U.S. […]
Speaker: Zachary Saine
Zachary Saine Canada Canadian-American chess player / Educator with a FIDE rating of 2000 / Chess content creator known as “TheChessNerd” Zachary Saine, known online as thechessnerd, is a Canadian-American chess player, content creator, and educator with a FIDE rating of 2000. With over 200,000 YouTube subscribers, Zach is a leading voice in digital chess […]
Speaker: Francisco Cruz Arce
Francisco Cruz Arce Puerto Rico Vice President of the Chess Confederation for the Americas (CCA) and Director of the Education Commission for the continent Francisco is the Vice President of the Chess Confederation for the Americas (CCA) and Director of the Education Commission for the continent. He holds a bachelor’s degree in arts and mathematics […]
Speaker: David Heiser
David Heiser USA Co-Founder and Executive Director, Renaissance Knights Chess Foundation Chicago David Heiser is the co-founder and executive director of the Renaissance Knights Chess Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing educational equity through chess. He co-founded the organization in 2005 with his wife, Sheila Heiser, with the shared vision of using chess to […]
Speaker: Arlecia Taylor
Arlecia Taylor USA Manager of Academic Competitions for Chicago Public Schools Arlecia J. Taylor is a results-driven education leader with over a decade of experience championing postsecondary access, academic enrichment, and student success. She currently serves as Manager of Academic Competitions at Chicago Public Schools, where she oversees 13 districtwide programs, manages a multimillion-dollar budget, […]
Speaker: Jon Kristian Haarr
Jon Kristian Haarr Norway Vice President of the Norwegian Chess Federation / Candidate Master Jon Kristian Haarr is a 33-year-old Norwegian Candidate Master and has been the Vice President of the Norwegian Chess Federation since 2022. He began his chess career through school chess, winning the national championship in 6th grade. In 2019, he co-founded […]
Speaker: Anna-Maja Kazarian
Anna-Maja Kazarian Netherlands Professional Chess Player / Commentator / Chess Content Creator (Twitch & YouTube) Head of SMEs, Partnerships, and Collaborations at Ecobank Nigeria, with over two decades of experience in the financial services industry. She has held leadership roles across various segments, including investment banking at Chapel Hill Denham
Speaker: Omoboye Odu
Omoboye Odu Nigeria Head of SMEs, Partnerships, and Collaborations at Ecobank Nigeria Head of SMEs, Partnerships, and Collaborations at Ecobank Nigeria, with over two decades of experience in the financial services industry. She has held leadership roles across various segments, including investment banking at Chapel Hill Denham
Speaker: Tyler Schwartz
Tyler Schwartz USA Founder, Story Time Chess / Founder, Learn Through Stories / 2x Toy of the Year Winner / Former Head of Media, lichess.org Tyler Schwartz is a dynamic entrepreneur and chess enthusiast dedicated to bridging chess, education, and business. As the founder of Story Time Chess, he revolutionized chess education, earning the People’s […]
Speaker: Anandita Oberoi
Anandita Oberoi USA Licensed Counselor, Psychology Professor, and Chess-in-Education Researcher Dr. Anandita Oberoi is a professor of Psychology and Human Services at Western Governors University and a licensed professional counselor. Her research focuses on executive functioning, resilience, parenting children with differing abilities, and gifted education. Inspired by her son—who has represented the USA multiple times […]